A New Moving Floor P ROVISIONAL protection has been granted to
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cover a new type of moving floor for lorries. The device is suitable for incorporation in vehicles up to 2-ton capacity and has been designed with a view to the adaptation of existing standard harries at a small cost. The inventor is Mr. Arthur T. Sheath, Cubert, College Road, Newport, Isle of Wight.
The floor is particularly suitable for the handling of goods in bags, but not for loose loads, such as sand. It consists of a number of quickly detachable interchangeable sections carried on rollers running on metal rails screwed to the original lorry floor. The moving sections arc of such a width that they can be stowed away in the space provided between the cross-members under the existing floor.
In the original model, the sections are moved by means of hawsers running over pulleys fastened to a spindle mounted below floor level at the rear. There are four hawsers, the outer ones drawing the floor to the rear and the inner wires returning it to its original position. The inventor envisages the fitting of this type of winding gear in order to reduce cost, although some operators might prefer worm-gear mechanism, which could easily be employed.
When the part of the load resting on the rearmost section of the floor is discharged, this is detached and the remaining slats moved rearwards. This process continues until only the front section, to which a loading board is fitted, remains in position.
The front section is not detachable, because the winding gear is secured to it. The whole floor, or any portion, can be locked rigidly in position by means of two pins, one on each side. , The inventor's main object has been to design a moving floor that would confer upon the user the benefits of easy loading • and unloading, without the need for structural alterations to an existing vehicle.